The Island Resources Foundation (IRF) was established in 1970 by Dr. Edward L. Towle as a non-profit organization dedicated to environmental research, education, and conservation in the Caribbean and other island regions. For 46 years, from 1970 to 2016, IRF conducted groundbreaking research on marine ecosystems, coastal management, sustainable development, and environmental policy.

The foundation produced hundreds of scientific publications, technical reports, and policy documents that have shaped environmental understanding and conservation efforts across the Caribbean region.

The EL Towle Digital Library, named in honor of the foundation's founder, serves as a comprehensive repository for IRF's extensive collection of research documents. This searchable archive makes decades of Caribbean environmental research accessible to researchers, policymakers, educators, and the public.

Our collection includes technical reports, scientific papers, policy analyses, conference proceedings, and field studies covering topics such as marine biology, coastal erosion, climate change adaptation, sustainable tourism, and environmental governance.

The EL Towle Digital Library offers multiple ways to explore our collection:

• Keyword Search: Search for specific terms across all documents
• Smart Search: Ask questions in natural language and get AI-assisted answers with source citations
• Explore by Topic: Browse documents organized by research categories
• Advanced Search: Filter by author, date, location, and other metadata